Greetings, Virginia Birders,
This morning, I took advantage of a rare opportunity to go birding on a
work-day, and drove into Jericho Lane in the Great Dismal Swamp NWR. To be
honest, I'm on sick leave! Too sick to go to work and infect others, but not so
ill that I can't sit in my car and listen to bird songs! I had driven into the
same area on Sunday morning, the 16th of April, hoping to hear a Swainson's
Warbler, but had no luck. Today, things were different. I heard two and
possibly three SWAINSON'S WARBLERS singing from the forest along Jericho Lane.
First heard around 9:00 AM as I drove in, they were both far from the road and
not singing very often. As I left around 10:30 AM, one was singing much closer
to the road and may have been the third bird. I got the impression that the
Swainson's had just arrived last night and were still getting the lay of the
land and not yet on territory. The bird close to the road was next to the metal
post that formerly held a refuge boundary sign. Also nearby is an extensive
overgrown hedge of privet or ligustrum, I'm not sure which?
I was unable to report on the birds I found on Sunday, the 16th, until now. The
only new bird I found that day was a single RED-EYED VIREO. More were in the
swamp today. What follows is a list for both days, April 16th and April 19th,
and only from Jericho Lane, not the Ditch itself:
Red-shouldered Hawk 1, 0
Laughing Gull 4, 2
Red-bellied Woodpecker 4, 2
Downy Woodpecker 2, 3
Hairy Woodpecker 2, 1
Northern Flicker 1, 0
Pileated Woodpecker 4, 8
Great Crested Flycatcher 6, 10
Barn Swallow 0, 3
Blue Jay 6, 1
Carolina Chickadee 2, 0
Carolina Wren 7, 8
Ruby-crowned Kinglet 2, 0
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher 2, 0
American Robin 1, 18
Gray Catbird 2, 1
White-eyed Vireo 2, 0
Red-eyed Vireo 1, 4
Pine Warbler 1, 0
Prairie Warbler 2, 2
Black-and-White Warbler 1, 2
Prothonotary Warbler 9, 8
Swainson's Warbler 0, 3
Ovenbird 4, 4
Louisiana Waterthrush 1, 1
Common Yellowthroat 10, 7
Hooded Warbler 4, 3
Eastern Towhee 3, 2
White-throated Sparrow 7, 4
Common Grackle 5, 3
American Goldfinch 0, 2
Good Birding!
David L. Hughes
Portsmouth, VA
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